Crime of Passion
by macmoosie
Summary: A behaviourally reckless seventeen year old boy is shot to death and his body is mutilated. Detectives Benson and Stabler are on the case, but when evidence points to a suspect that not only Elliot believes to be innocent, but is developing feelings for, all cards are on the table. Follow Elliot Stabler as he uncovers the truth behind the crime and the truth within his heart.
1. A Sound of Thunder

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Law &amp; Order: SVU nor am I affiliated with Wolf Films, Studios USA, NBC Studios or Universal Television in any way, shape or form. This story is a complete work of fiction and any similarities to any persons, places or events are purely coincidental. I do own the original characters featured in this story and they are not to be used, mentioned or referenced in any way, shape or form without my permission.

**Author's Note: **I've been piecing together an L&amp;O: SVU story for quite some time now and I think it's time that I share it with the community. The story is rated M for language, violence, graphic content and mature, adult themes.

* * *

_In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives that investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories._

**_Queens, New York  
22 March 2013; 01:53am_**

It was a surprisingly quiet night in Queens, most likely brought on by the light rain that no one wanted to be caught in. Two streets down from the local deli, two teenagers were walking together, laughing and shouting obnoxiously. A few people turned on their lights and pulled back their curtains, some even shouted telling them to shut up, but their inconsiderate behaviour continued. "We really should be a little quieter now," the girl laughed.

"Fuck these people, Miranda," the boy retorted. "If people would learn to just mind their own business," he shouted the last part, putting emphasis on it.

The two arrived at Miranda's apartment and gave their goodbyes and she went inside, leaving the boy to walk alone. He hadn't noticed that someone was a block or so away and had been following them since they left the party they'd spent most of the night at. The man following crossed over to the same side of the street that the boy was walking on and gradually increased his walking speed until he was close enough to blitz-attack him. In the commotion, a woman pulled back her curtains and looked out the window in time to hear a succession of gunshots. As she ducked for cover, she heard rapid movement and peeked out of the window. A man stood across the street looking in her direction and then took off around the corner.

**_Queens, New York  
22 March 2013; 02:05am_**

A brown Ford Crown Victoria pulled alongside the crime scene police tape and slowed to a halt. Two detectives stepped out of the vehicle and made their way toward the police officer before them who held up the tape for them to pass under. The man spoke, "I'm Detective Stabler and this is my partner, Detective Benson. What happened?"

"I'm Officer Phelps, first responding. Victim is Ryan Silva, seventeen years old. According to his state ID, he lives in the area. His wallet remained on his person with cash and a debit card still inside, so it wasn't a mugging gone wrong. Medical examiner's over at the site and wants a word with you."

Detective Stabler led the way with Benson following, taking note of the evidence markers littered around the area. The two were greeted by the medical examiner, Melinda Warner. "Good morning, Detectives."

"Isn't it bad taste to say 'good' morning at a crime scene?" Detective Benson teased, making Melinda smile. "What makes this our case?"

"Well at first glance it looks like a generic homicide, perhaps with a twinge of foul play until the body was closely examined. I found traces of semen on the lining of the victim's anus as well as on the accompanying side of his underwear. There's also the case of his severed genitals," she said with a twinge. Detective Benson looked at her partner, bewildered. The medical examiner held up a hand, "Before you ask, yes, you heard me correctly."

**_Special Victims Unit Office  
Manhattan, New York  
22 March 2013; 9:30am_**

Elliot Stabler entered the office with a migraine and a cup of coffee. His partner, Olivia Benson, sat at her desk looking through reports. It wasn't long before their boss left his office to be briefed on the situation.

"So, what do we know?" the Captain asked.

Olivia flipped over a report. "At approximately 2am this morning, a seventeen year old boy was found murdered – three gunshot wounds to the chest and one in the face. His genitals have been severed. His sister is coming in to identify the body today."

Captain Cragen rubbed his temples vigorously before clearing his throat. "All right, Elliot and Olivia, you two head over to the medical examiner's office. Warner will most likely have something by now. John, Finn, canvass the area. Find out what the neighbours have to say about our victim."

**_Medical Examiner's Office  
Manhattan, New York  
22 March 2013; 9:45am_**

"Did you learn anything from the autopsy?" Olivia asked the examiner.

"Yes and I think you'll find it equally interesting as disturbing," Melinda replied. She pulled back the sheet covering the victim and revealed his upper body. "The gunshot wounds to the chest are consistent with an inexperienced shooter – the grouping is scattered, which indicates a shaky hand, much more so out of nerves or anxiety. However, the grouping is tight enough to show that the shots were close range."

Elliot blinked a few times and leaned closer to have a look. "Four shots – three to the chest, one to the head…this murder was a personal one." He crossed the room to look at the visuals of the DNA testing.

Olivia crossed her arms. "What about the semen you found? Any luck matching it?"

The medical examiner leaned over the body to grab her clipboard before turning a page. "That's what you're going to find interesting and disturbing. The semen I found on the victim's underwear as well as around and inside the anus matches two people – the victim is one of them."

Elliot and Olivia exchanged looks. "How the hell does that happen?" she asked.

"I developed two working theories based on the evidence and speculation surrounding homosexual relations – the victim had consensual sex as there were no signs of a struggle; no bruising, no tearing in the anus. The first theory is that they used the victim's semen – post-ejaculation – as lubricant, which would explain how the victim's semen was found inside the anus as well as around it; his partner's semen was found only on the anus, rear and his underwear which indicates he did not ejaculate inside of him."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Well, what's the second theory?"

"A more interesting one, actually – the victim might have been pleasuring himself earlier in the day and did the same thing to himself, minus the consensual partner, most likely with a sexual toy."

Olivia shook her head. "Sexual predilections are getting stranger and stranger the younger they are."

**_Special Victims Unit Office  
Manhattan, New York  
22 March 2013; 10:15am_**

Captain Cragen entered the office, having just arrived from a press conference about the incident. He immediately headed for his office and shut the door swiftly behind him. Elliot got up from his desk and walked over to Olivia. "What the hell was that about?" Olivia shrugged her shoulders.

A few moments later, a young girl entered the squad room; she looked bewildered and saddened. Elliot and Olivia assumed she was the victim's sister. "Are you Kaitlin Silva?" Olivia asked. The girl nodded. Olivia and Elliot escorted her to the medical examiner's office to identify the body. Kaitlin watched in silence as they pulled back the sheet. When she saw her brother's face, she started crying and turned away from the window.

"I can't imagine how hard this is for you, Kaitlin," Olivia spoke, "But I have to ask…do you know of anyone who would want to hurt your brother?"

Kaitlin wiped her eyes with a tissue and sniffled. "Ryan wasn't the best person in the world. He made a lot of enemies, sure. I can only think of one person who'd ever actually go through with killing him. His name's Jack Grant." Kaitlin shrugged her shoulders. "Ryan made Jack's life miserable."

Elliot glanced at Olivia briefly. "Where can we find Jack?"

Kaitlin swallowed hard. "He works at GameStop over on West 33rd.

**_GameStop  
100 W 33rd_****_Street  
Manhattan, New York  
22 March 2013; 11:30am_**

Elliot and Olivia walked into the video game store; it was surprisingly empty despite being in a busier part of the neighbourhood. Olivia walked up to an employee and showed him her badge. "Detective Benson, NYPD, we're looking for Jack Grant."

The employee raised an eyebrow. "He's in the back doing inventory. What's this about?"

"We just need to ask him some questions," Elliot answered. The employee gestured for them to follow him into the back room. After they entered, the employee went back onto the sales floor. Elliot noticed a young man with a clipboard, crouched next to a couple of video game systems. "Jack Grant?"

The man looked up and set his clipboard aside. "Yes…can I help you?"

"I'm Detective Stabler and this is my partner, Detective Benson," he stated, showing Jack his badge. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about Ryan Silva. We understand you two are acquainted."

Jack crossed his arms. "That's putting it mildly. What do you want to know?"

Olivia pulled out her notepad and clicked her pen. "For starters, can you tell us where you were this morning, around 1:50am?"

"I was home, for the most part. Went out for a walk and had a cigarette, when I came back home it was about two o'clock. I went to bed after that." He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Can anyone confirm that?" Olivia asked.

"My mother could, but she went to bed around eleven – work in the morning – so I suppose not." Jack shifted his position uncomfortably. "Can you please tell me what this is about? It's not every day I'm questioned by the police."

"Ryan Silva was murdered this morning and we understand that your relationship with him wasn't exactly one to be admired," Elliot said, intimidatingly.

Jack's eyes widened slightly and he pursed his lips. "My mother always told me to be careful what you wish for. How did he die?"

Olivia looked at Elliot and nodded. "He was shot four times; three in the chest, one in the head. His genitals were also cut off and we haven't found them."

Jack remained motionless. He walked over to the desk and pushed himself onto it to sit. "If I can be honest with you, detectives, I know how badly this will sound…but I'm not sorry about his death. If you ask me, he had it coming for quite some time."

Elliot recalled what the victim's sister said about Ryan making Jack's life miserable. "What do you mean?"

Jack laughed. "Ryan was a whore. He did every drug known to man, fucked any guy with two legs and a dick and fed off the misery of those who wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole."

"I take it you're one of those guys," Olivia encouraged.

"To tell you the truth, I used to like him. I thought he was funny and pretty good looking and whatever. We kissed once a few years ago around the holidays." Jack laughed again. "Then I grew up. Ryan's just a punk and I told myself that one of these days, he'd fuck with the wrong person. I hope he cried like the little bitch that he is when his killer shot him."

Olivia and Elliot exchanged looks. "Jack, we'd like to you come down to our precinct for a DNA test."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"We found DNA at the crime scene and we need to find out who it belongs to," Elliot finished.

Jack eyed the two detectives inquisitively and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm off work at four. I'll come by straight after."

Elliot and Olivia nodded and left the store. "You think he'll show up?" Olivia asked.

"Nope."


	2. Incriminating

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Law &amp; Order: SVU nor am I affiliated with Wolf Films, Studios USA, NBC Studios or Universal Television in any way, shape or form. This story is a complete work of fiction and any similarities to any persons, places or events are purely coincidental. I do own the original characters featured in this story and they are not to be used, mentioned or referenced in any way, shape or form without my permission.

**Author's Note: **I've been piecing together an L&amp;O: SVU story for quite some time now and I think it's time that I share it with the community. The story is rated M for language, violence, graphic content and mature, adult themes.

* * *

_**Medical Examiner's Office  
**__**Manhattan, New York  
**__**22 March 2013; 4:27pm**_

Elliot glanced at the clock and then to his watch. He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "All right, put out an APB on the kid. I knew he was going to run." Elliot stood up from his chair but stopped when Jack walked into the room.

"I told you I'd be here." He sat in the chair next to the medical examiner and opened his mouth so she could swab his cheek.

"All right, you're done. I'll have the results within the hour," she confirmed.

Elliot and Olivia escorted Jack to one of their interview rooms and sat him down with a cup of coffee and a cigarette. Jack sipped his coffee and made a face of disgust before pushing it away from him. He took a heavy drag from his cigarette and blew O-rings into the open air.

The detectives watched from the observation room, bewildered. "He's acting like he doesn't have a care in the world," Olivia pointed out.

Elliot shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. "Maybe he's innocent. The DNA test will answer that."

Olivia shook her head. "The DNA test will confirm whether or not the semen in the victim is Jack's, not that he didn't kill him. You heard the sister - Ryan made Jack's life miserable, that gives him motive."

"Then why wait until now?" Elliot asked.

Before Olivia could answer, the medical examiner entered the room. "I got the results from the test; the DNA found in the victim is not Jack's."

Olivia gave Elliot a look of annoyance and headed into the interview room, her partner following closely behind. Elliot leaned against the window as Olivia took the seat across from Jack. "We got the results from the DNA test; it's not yours."

Jack put out his cigarette in the ashtray and blew the smoke considerately away from Olivia. "Good. So can I leave now? My mother's probably wondering where I am."

"You can call her afterward - we have a few more questions."

Jack sighed and cracked his knuckles. "All right, shoot." He paused for a moment and reflected on how Ryan was killed. "Figuratively speaking."

Elliot smiled at the humour. He glanced at Jack occasionally and took notice of his appearance. Young guy, very attractive, most likely in his early twenties, with dark brown hair and olive green; the kind of eyes anyone would be jealous of.

Olivia crossed her arms. "Tell me about how Ryan made your life miserable."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Who told you that?" He paused for a moment and held up a hand. "Don't tell me. His sister, right?" Olivia blinked and Jack chuckled. "Kristin, that bitch. You know, she's just as responsible for it. She and I used to be friends, but she decided to choose her slut of a brother over me, even though he dropped her baby on purpose."

"So you loathe Ryan and his sister then?" Olivia asked.

"Loathe," he repeated as if the word had offended him. "I despise them. I hate them. Ryan's death is a weight lifted off my shoulders. Now I'll never have to worry about seeing him on the street or having my house vandalised. I can finally sleep better at night knowing that one of the primary sources of my negative energy has been destroyed permanently."

Olivia and Elliot exchanged looks and continued to question Jack. Behind the glass, Captain Cragen and the Special Victims Unit's psychiatrist, George Huang observed along with Casey Novak, the assistant district attorney. "What do you think?" Cragen asked Huang.

"I don't know. His lack of remorse for Ryan's death shares similarities with the symptoms of a sociopath, but the way he deliberately blew his cigarette smoke away from Olivia shows respect for others, nevermind authority. Sociopaths have no regard for anyone around them, much less themselves." Huang replied.

Captain Cragen looked at Casey. "What about his alibi? It doesn't check out along with the lack of remorse and his motive."

Casey shook her head. "It's all circumstantial. I'll need something concrete to get a conviction."

Huang looked back at Cragen. "Let me talk to his mother. I'll get a better insight into him from her - he most likely won't want to share personal details that might incriminate him."

"Fine." Cragen opened the door and gestured to Munch and Finn. "Bring Mrs. Grant in for questioning."

_**Special Victims Unit Interview Room 2**_  
_**Manhattan, New York**_  
_**22 March 2013; 5:39pm**_

"I don't understand," Mrs. Grant spoke, "Jack would never hurt anyone. He tends to exaggerate when it comes to people who've hurt him, but he's never gotten into so much as a fist fight, nevermind actually killing someone."

Huang shifted his position in the chair and interlocked his fingers. "Mrs. Grant, has Jack displayed any violent tendencies, verbal or otherwise?"

She thought for a moment and sighed. "Jack has a troubled mind. He often forgets to rationalise when someone does something wrong to him. In his mind, if someone makes him feel dead inside, he thinks they deserve to be dead themselves."

"Has he ever threatened or intimidated someone?"

She nodded. "In high school, he was suspended for threatening to kill another student who started rumours about Jack's sex life. He was exonerated the following week after he provided the school administration with evidence of their online chat - a computer screenshot of the whole thing - Jack proved that the other student fabricated the threat." She paused for a moment. "I believed him for years until after graduation. Jack told me he went into the chat transcripts HTML files and altered the text to remove his threat from the chat."

Cragen looked at Casey from behind the two-way mirror. "So Jack is smart enough to outsmart authority."

Casey sighed. "It's still mostly circumstantial. In school systems, they don't harbour the same in-depth investigations as the police do. If Jack provided evidence to exonerate himself, they're inclined to believe what they see before them."

"Well how the hell do we figure out who did it? There's no evidence that puts Jack at the scene, but his behaviour and the victim's friends say Jack is the only person who would have done it."

Cragen looked back at the window to watch Mrs. Grant's interview continue.

"Do you own a gun, Mrs. Grant?" Huang asked.

"No, but Jack does despite my protests and best efforts. It's a Walther PPK - I remember because it's the same one James Bond used in the classic films. Jack is a huge James Bond fan."

Cragen raised an eyebrow. "Walther PPK…that's .380ACP calibre, the same rounds found in the victim."

Casey nodded. "I'll get a subpoena to search the residence."

_**Grant Residence**_  
_**Queens, New York**_  
_**22 March 2013: 6:03pm**_

Elliot and Olivia searched Jack's room up and down but they couldn't find the gun. Elliot sat at Jack's computer and searched through his files. He pulled up his Facebook page and checked the messages, finding a conversation between Ryan and Jack dated two months ago. "Olivia, look at this. Conversation between Jack and Ryan. Why is Ryan's name blacked out?"

Olivia looked. "Jack must have blocked his profile from communication. What was the last thing said?"

Elliot scrolled to the last piece of the conversation. "Don't worry about me, you little fucking slut. It's you I'd be concerned about. If I ever see you again, I will shoot you on sight."

The two detectives exchanged looks and continued to search for the gun. Olivia opened the closet and felt around the top shelf. "Elliot, look." She pulled down a secured gun case with a keypad lock.

"Jack's a James Bond fan."

Olivia nodded and entered in '0-0-7' and the case beeped twice and opened. She put on a pair of latex gloves and removed the gun from the case. "Walther PPK." She disengaged the safety and removed the magazine before pulling the slide back to look inside the chamber. "It's loaded. Two bullets left in the magazine, one in the chamber. This model holds seven rounds."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Ryan was shot four times. Son of a bitch."

Jack entered the room with his mother and glanced at the detectives. "What the hell are you doing?"

Olivia stood up and removed the handcuffs from her belt. "Just finding our murder weapon. Jack Grant, you're under arrest for the murder of Ryan Silva. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…"


End file.
